User Interface
Now that you've created your character, let's go over the elements of the EQ2 user interface. The Character Selection Screen Before entering the game world, you can: * Customize your character's alternate appearance (if you haven't done so yet). * Open the EQ2 Options Window if you just can't wait to tweak settings. * Watch the EQ2 intro movie or listen to the background story. * Create another character. (You can have up to 7 characters on a normal EQ2 account.) Press 'Play' to enter the game world. A Tour of the Game Screen The EQ2 game screen is extremely customizable, but is quite functional out-of-the-box. Let's go over the main elements of the default game screen: # Name Description 1 EQII Menu Button Access EQ2's various windows and features. 2 Hotkey Bar Drag your spells and abilities to this bar, then click on the icons to use them. 3 Experience Bar Shows your progress toward your next level. 4 Compass Shows which direction your camera is facing. 5 Clock Shows the in-game time and day/night cycle. 6 Chat Window Shows game-related text, and conversations with other players. 7 Chat Bubble Dialogue from NPCs and players are shown above their heads. 8 Spell Effects All effects that are currently affecting your character. 9 Group Shows players that you are currently grouped with, and the "looking for group" button. 10 Your Status Shows your health and power, your concentration, and whether you are engaged in combat. 11 Target Window Shows what you currently have targeted, and their disposition toward you. 12 Implied Target Window Shows your "target's target", i.e. who your target has engaged. 13 Maintained Effects Shows effects that are being produced by you. 14 Quest Helper Shows the current step in the quest that's selected in your Quest Journal. A Tour of the EQII Menu Bring up the EQII Menu by clicking the square EQII button, or by pressing the Escape key when nothing is targeted. The following table gives a brief explanation of each menu item, and shows the keyboard shortcuts for each item. A few menu items are omitted because they aren't relevant to this beginner's guide. Menu Item Shortcut Description L Opens your Character Development and Achievements screen. /claim Brings up a list of promotional items that you can claim. Y Opens your Friends and Ignore lists. U Displays the guild window if you are a member of a guild, or the guild recruitment window otherwise. I Opens your inventory screen. /lfg Opens up the LFG window where you can search or look for a group. M Displays a map of your current location, if one is available. Alt+O Opens a window listing all options for adjusting the game settings, such as graphics, sound, and key mappings. P Opens your persona screen. Tabs in here include your Stats, Skills, Details, Factions and Options. J Opens your Quest Journal where all your quests are tracked. N Opens the tradeskill window listing recipes your character knows. O Displays a list of social actions and custom macros. Alt+W Displays a list of locations or group members in your area. Select one to see a light trail that will lead you to the target. /help Opens the help window where you can find quick answers to your questions in-game and Access Customer Service. /camp Use this when you want to exit EverQuest II. Camping takes 20 seconds to complete. Credit: EQ2 Knowledge Base A Tour of the Options Window There are so many settings to customize in EQ2, all found in the Options Window. But right now, let's focus on something that immediately impacts your first play session: the Performance Options. You can access the Options Window from the Character Select screen, in-game via the EQII menu, or by pressing Alt+O. Usually the Performance Options are the first thing shown when you open this window, but if not, you'll find it by clicking "Display" on the left-hand side of the Options Window. Choosing a Performance Profile EQ2 was built for the future: nearly 4 years after launch, its graphics detail still stands up to the latest games. However, your computer may not be up to the task. For this reason, you should become familiar with the Performance Profiles in the Options Window. EQ2 defaults to the "Balanced" performance profile. This is suitable for an average computer with an average graphics processor, but this might not be the most appropriate profile for your computer. * If you have an older computer, or a laptop or a low-end graphics processor, you'll get a significant boost from choosing "High Performance" or "Very High Performance". * If you have a dedicated graphics processor, and the "Balanced" profile is running smoothly, then try "High Quality" or an even higher profile. If you are running a computer with minimal RAM (e.g. 512 megs), then you can also improve how EQ2 runs by choosing a "High Performance" profile. These profiles use much less memory than the "Higher Quality" profiles. Choosing the Alternate Character Models The alternate character models were described in the Appearance section. If you want to try the alternate character models, select them here in the Options Window. Click "Models" on the left-hand side of the Options Window, then enable the alternate models. The changes take effect immediately. Now close the window and see how your character looks!